Chapter 60 Daytime Nightmare
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”I came here to bury you.”
Goldgang couldn’t believe his ears. The words coming from Charles’s mouth, along with that cold gaze, were unbelievable.
”…Huh?”
A foolish voice slipped out without thinking. His mouth was left hanging open like an idiot. But he didn’t care about that. He was just completely confused by the unbelievable situation, a scene that seemed impossible in every way.
To Goldgang, Charles continued speaking as if to say this was reality.
”I said I came to guide you to your end, useless one. Don’t make your lord repeat himself. You lowly servant.”
Goldgang felt the blood drain from his body. It was as if blood was being violently sucked from his feet, and he felt a chill as his body stiffened and refused to move.
Yet, Goldgang still couldn’t believe it. No, he didn’t want to believe it, or maybe he just couldn’t face the reality.
”…No way, haha. Your Majesty is just joking, right? Our Majesty wouldn’t say something so cold.”
He turned his eyes away from reality, scratching the back of his head while forcing out a laugh. Only a hoarse laugh came from his dry throat due to extreme tension, but that was fine.
He just hoped it was a joke. He clung to the wish that in a few seconds, Charles would be smiling at him.
”…Right?”
Goldgang looked at Charles’s expression again. He wanted to see him smile, to laugh it off as a joke… but that small hope of Goldgang’s would never come true.
”What matters to me are useful subordinates, and only those who can be used.”
It was like kicking away a hand that was offered.
Charles’s expression, which had pushed Goldgang into the depths of despair, remained unchanged. He showed no emotion towards the one he was glaring at.
”I wished for you to be the strongest warrior, unmatched in the world. But what I created was neither unmatched nor the strongest. A reckless fool who didn’t understand his own incompetence, mistaking strength for everything… I should have dealt with you when you blindly trusted in power and bit my hand back then.”
Goldgang’s vision twisted and blurred. His body wouldn’t move. He couldn’t even breathe. Those were the things Goldgang cared about the most, and the words he feared the most.
It was a long time ago. In the early days of Babellion. A time when there was only the First Army led by Felshiol.
Goldgang, one of the great captains of the First Army, had once been ordered to stir up the enemy lines as part of the vanguard. Being the first spear in a great battle was something he had never been happier about.
Excited by the important role given to him by Charles, Goldgang charged into the enemy lines, driven by his exhilaration. He aimed to kill many enemies, take their leaders, and show his power to Charles.
However, he was suddenly defeated by Esmeralda, who appeared at the front lines. Not only that, he was enchanted and turned into a puppet, swinging his deadly blade at Charles, who had arrived later.
It was his first defeat.
Up until today, he had faced defeat multiple times, and Goldgang remembered all of them. He felt ashamed of each one as a sign of his weakness.
However, the incident where he attacked Charles left a particularly deep wound in Goldgang’s heart.
Esmeralda, who was once his enemy, was now his ally. He could confidently say that he didn’t hold any hatred towards her.
But Charles had brought it all back. What Goldgang feared most deep down had become a reality.
A chill flowed through every pore of Goldgang’s body. Cold sweat froze and stole his body heat, making him feel as if he had wandered into a snowy mountain.
”You have above-average strength… but that’s all. Unlike the old world, in this world, those with wisdom are more useful. If you’re too busy counting 1 or 2 in front of you, you’re useless to me if you can’t think about the future of ten or a hundred.”
”W-What… Your Majesty is telling me to…”
Before he knew it, he was begging with a pitiful voice. The bold military leader was nowhere to be found. He crawled like a child begging for his parent’s forgiveness.
”What a pathetic man. This pitiful sight is your true self.”
”No, that’s not it… I… no, no…”
Goldgang’s outstretched hand, seeking salvation, never reached its destination.
”Goldgang, I give you my final order. End your own life here and now.”
It was a death sentence. A command that denied everything about Goldgang, telling him he was no longer needed.
He couldn’t move. It felt as if his body had turned to ice.
He wanted to give up. He thought about just dying as he was told.
In the pitch-black despair, Goldgang saw something shining. It was his battle axe. A necessary tool to carry out Charles’s orders. Not a light of hope, but a scythe of death.
Goldgang’s trembling hand reached for the handle of the battle axe. It felt like a part of his body, the important axe given to him by Charles.
But the moment he grabbed the axe, Goldgang froze again. He continued to stare at the battle axe while still on the ground.
”What’s wrong? Hurry up and kill yourself. Do you plan to be a burden to me until the end? You pathetic servant… at least die bravely in your final moments.”
The desire to be free from the pain of those words grew stronger. But at the same time, a new feeling began to rise.
It was doubt. Charles had never been harsh to Goldgang before. He was a cruel ruler, but he had kindness towards his subordinates, and Goldgang knew this well.
”…His Majesty wouldn’t say something like that.”
”What?”
”I said His Majesty wouldn’t say such things!!”
Goldgang thought this was a trial. To trust Charles. To believe only in the memories of his beloved creator, the one he had walked alongside until now, and Goldgang stood up.
”Oh… you turn away from your own weakness and dare to call me a fake. How dare a mere servant be so rude──.”
”I’m not a servant!!”
Goldgang’s roar drowned out Charles’s words. Charles had never once used the word “servant.”
”What did you say?”
”I’m not a servant! I’m a child of Babellion! Don’t you dare speak nonsense in His Majesty’s presence!”
Goldgang raised his battle axe high and────with one swift strike, he cleaved Charles’s upper body in half.
”…Gold, Gang?”
Charles collapsed to the ground, blood gushing out. The battle axe crushed bones and exposed the insides to the air.
”…Gold…gang…”
Charles called out the name again, but air leaked from his lungs, making it hard to understand what he was saying. However, with blood-red bubbles coming from his throat, he stared at Goldgang with dilating pupils.
”…Huh, why?”
Goldgang was confused about what had just happened.
Charles should have been able to easily dodge Goldgang’s attack. Or everything should have been an illusion, and things would return to normal.
”…W-why?”
Tears fell from Charles’s eyes. They were a deep red, droplets of death.
”…I was just joking… but… cough.”
”That’s not… me…”
This was just like that time. The time he lost to Esmeralda and opposed Charles.
”To kill your master… have you become driven by the desire to take over Babellion?”
”N-no… I… I was… His Majesty…”
”…I was foolish to trust you even a little… I was mistaken… Heh, but for me who is dying… it no longer matters.”
The light was fading from Charles’s eyes. It was as if it was scattering into the air, the light disappearing from his gaze as he looked at Goldgang.
”STOP ITTTT, PLEASE STOP!”
”……Gang.”
”I’m not like that, I am, I am… Ah… ahh.”
He crumbled. Not his body, but his mind.
Even in front of thousands of soldiers, the man charged forward on horseback, laughing, but his massive spirit began to crumble with a loud noise.
”AHHHHHHHHHH────.”
…
……
………
”[Witch’s Embrace (Vīnea Prex)]!!”
A voice like a girl’s rang out.
As if blown away by a strong wind, the fog that had taken over Goldgang’s mind cleared.
Goldgang shook his head, still feeling a bit of a headache, and pushed himself up on his knees, realizing something.
Charles’s lifeless body was not there.
”…I, I am…”
”Goldie-chan!! How long are you going to be dazed!?”
As Goldgang held his head in confusion, the fog in his mind completely vanished with Morloi’s shout, bringing him back to his senses.
Everything Goldgang had seen was an illusion. But the fact that he had been trapped in that illusion was real. His heart raced wildly, and the sweat soaking his clothes told the story.
At the same time, Goldgang grasped the situation he was in. Charles’s presence and words had all been illusions. And he had been saved by Morloi, who had joined them late.
”Ah… sorry for being late.”
Goldgang tightened his grip on his battle axe and looked around with sharp eyes.
The Goblins he had killed couldn’t possibly create illusions. Besides, Goldgang was level 200. If there was a deep illusion, it was clear that a powerful magician was behind it────.
Before he knew it, a figure appeared.
”Hohoho, you break my illusion? This is surprising.”
A man stood atop the ruins of an old castle. He looked down, dressed in a tailcoat, with a slender body.
The man is not in Goldgang’s memory.
His head, covered with a silk hat, is wrapped in feathers, and his round eyes have a beak extending from them. He is not just a person wearing a costume. There is no doubt he is a Monster.
”…What are you?”
”Well, let’s say… I’m an owl gentleman.”
The owl man stroked his chin with a gloved hand.
”…A gentleman? Attacking without introducing yourself, that’s quite rude.”
Goldgang glared at the owl man with sarcasm. He didn’t like being looked down upon, but he wasn’t foolish enough to jump into a fight right away.
”So? Who exactly is this owl gentleman? If you’re a gentleman, introducing yourself is basic etiquette!”
”I am the servant of the world’s conqueror. I came here for a reason, and… I’ve seen something good, hohoho.”
”The world’s conqueror? Only my lord can claim that title!!”
Goldgang shouted, emotions laid bare, but surprisingly, he remained calm inside. He was not peaceful, and he was agitated, but he was not controlled by his emotions.
The gloved hand has 5 fingers. It is a monster with the body of a human and the features of an owl. Goldgang analyzed the limited information, thinking it was probably a type of [half-human half-owl (Owlman)] or [high-level demon (Archdemon)]…
Goldgang is a musclehead. He doesn’t think about tactics and has no intention of doing so. So he decided it was pointless to think for himself and left everything to Felshiol and Morloi.
He is fine being a pawn. The strongest and most reliable presence, he speaks through his actions to his subordinates. That is the role expected of an Army Commander for Goldgang.
But Goldgang is not a fool who can’t think at all. When it comes to killing an enemy in front of him, even Felshiol would be impressed by his cleverness.
However, the situation changes completely with the words spoken by the Owl Man.
”Hohohoho… What an unusual thing to say. The master of a foolish creature, who dances clumsily in my hands, is the ruler of the world… The master of a foolish creature is also a fool, isn’t he?”
At the moment the Owl Man twisted his beak in mockery, Goldgang’s blood vessels burst with a sound that echoed in his eardrums.
What the Owl Man said were words that Goldgang──no, all the people of Babellion──could not ignore.
Immediately after, Morloi broke the standoff. The pink magic staff thrust into the ground emitted a sweet light.
”[Thorn of Sin (Pegatospina)].”
From the crack in the earth, a pitch-black forest sprouted. It was an arm. Thousands and thousands of thin, branch-like arms of monsters. Countless arms, rotting and discolored black, erupted from the ground like a hellish geyser, reaching out to drag the Owl Man down to the depths.
”Hohoho.”
But the deadly hands did not catch the Owl Man. As if he had never been there, the hands that grasped at the void dissipated without effect.
”Hohoho.”
When the laughter rang out again and he turned around, the Owl Man was in the sky.
”Unfortunately, I am at a disadvantage in a straightforward brawl, so I must take my leave──.”
The moment the Owl Man took off his silk hat and bowed with confidence, a black shadow leaped into his view.
”Hoho!? What incredible physical ability!”
With just one step, with just one kick, Goldgang closed the distance to the Owl Man. The battle axe he raised, reflecting in the wide-open eyes of the Owl Man, began to emit a blood-red effect.
”[Daidara’s Eight Trigramsss]!!”
”…But that is also an illusion.”
The body of the Owl Man turned into mist, and Goldgang’s battle axe cut through the air just like Morloi’s sorcery. He instinctively reached out to grab the real body, but the mist was just that──mist──and he couldn’t grasp anything with his hand.
In an instant, the mist vanished, and at the same time, the Owl Man appeared several meters away. It wasn’t teleportation. The Owl Man had been there from the start. He had just misled Goldgang’s perception with his tricks.
”Damn it, wait up!!”
”Do you think someone would stop just because you said that? Then allow me to take my leave.”
”Damn youuuuuuu────!!”
That roar echoed in vain, and this time, the Owl Man’s figure quickly disappeared into the southern sky.
And Goldgang could only jump in frustration. He couldn’t stay in the air or fly after him; gravity pulled him back down to the ground.
Once again on solid ground, Goldgang glared at the sky where the Owl Man had vanished. The teeth he clenched in humiliation cracked with a snap.
He couldn’t tell where the Owl Man’s strategy had come from. Was it just a coincidence, or had he gathered a horde of Goblins from somewhere?
But one thing was clear: Goldgang had tasted defeat.
He had been attacked without mercy, brought to his knees, and yet he couldn’t land a single blow. Even worse, he had encountered a potential threat to Babellion but gained no information before letting it escape. It was a complete defeat for Goldgang, leaving him with nothing but the fact that he had been made to dance like a fool.
However, Goldgang did not lash out in anger or frustration.
The next moment, his vision twisted and distorted, and Goldgang’s massive body collapsed to the ground.
”…Hah… Hah…”
”Goldie-chan!!”
Goldgang was breathing heavily, kneeling on both knees. He could feel the rapid beating of his heart directly. His trembling body was pressed down to the ground.
He just watched as large drops of sweat dripped down and soaked into the dirt.
Morloi rushed over, pale with worry at the unusual sight. But Goldgang forcefully swatted his hand away and squeezed out the words from his throat with all his might.
”Send a message to His Majesty… to Babellion.”
”Are you okay? Goldie-chan, if something’s wrong, you need to tell me right away!”
”I’m fine. Just… a little mental damage left. I’m not going to die.”
Sweat like beads was forming on his pale face.
”Then you need to rest quickly!!”
”Did you not hear me? I said you need to report first!!”
They encountered an enemy force. Their identity is unknown, but they are likely level 200. This information is extremely important for Babellion.
”And I can’t see the others who came with me… I need to check on their safety…”
Goldgang’s consciousness was fading. His mind, already at its limit from mental contamination, was barely held together by a thread. But as the tension eased, that thread finally snapped, and his vision flickered and blacked out.
”Goldie-chan!! Goldie-chan!!”
Morloi’s voice near his ear sounded like it was coming from across a river, and his heavy body sank into the ground like it was weighed down by lead.
Goldgang completely lost consciousness there.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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